| TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993) |
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Jepson Interchange (more information) |
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©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
For up-to-date information about California vascular plants, visit the Jepson eFlora. |
AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY |
Perennial (sometimes annual, shrub, vine, tree); sap milky
Leaves simple, entire, opposite, alternate, or subwhorled; stipules 0 or small
Inflorescence: cyme; flowers 1–many, axillary or terminal
Flower bisexual, radial; perianth parts overlapping, at least in bud; sepals 5, fused at base, persistent; petals 5, fused in ± basal half; stamens 5, attached to corolla tube or throat, alternate lobes; ovaries 2, ± superior, generally free, styles and stigmas fused
Fruit: generally 2 follicles
Seeds many, often with tuft of silky hairs
Genera in family: ± 150–200 genera, 1000–2000 species: especially tropical; many ornamental (Nerium, oleander; Plumeria , frangipani); some alkaloids highly toxic, some used in medicine
Recent taxonomic note: Recently treated to include Asclepiadaceae
Reference: [Rosatti 1989 J Arnold Arbor 70:307–401]
Plant ± glabrous
Leaves ± opposite
Inflorescence: flowers solitary in axils
Flower: calyx lobes long, slender; corolla blue, tube funnel-shaped, lobes asymmetric; stamens attached near top of corolla tube, filaments sharply bent near base, anthers held around but free from stigma, each partly sterile; nectaries 2, alternate and generally < ovaries; style thread-like, stigma skirted at base
Seed glabrous
Species in genus: 6–7 species: s Eur, n Africa, sw Asia
Etymology: (Latin: possibly, to bind or conquer)
[Taylor & Farnsworth 1973 The Vinca alkaloids]
| Introduced |
Plant sprawling
Stem arching, rooting at tips
Leaf: petiole generally < 1 cm; blade ± 7 cm, ovate
Flower: corolla 3–5 cm wide, purplish blue, rarely white
Fruit curved, generally not produced
Ecology: Sheltered places, especially along streams
Elevation: 2–200 m.
Bioregional distribution: Outer North Coast Ranges, San Francisco Bay Area, s Outer South Coast Ranges, South Coast
Distribution outside California: to s US; native to Europe
Cult as ornamental.